damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today the recurring problem with covid in the latino community on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪ damian: we begin today with our monthly visit by the consulate of mexico in san francisco. with me is the [speaking foreign language] a consul general of mexico in san francisco, remedios gomez arnau, on "comunidad del valle." welcome back to the show, consul. it's been a long time. remedios gomez arnau: yeah. well, thank you, damian. i'm always very pleased to be with you and your audience. damian: yes, thank you for being here. well, there's a lot to talk about. one thing that you were mentioning off air is a problem

that people are complaining that they can't make appointments. tell us what we need to kn with the consulate. remedios: well, you know, because of the pandemia here in the--in mexico and also in the united states, we have some issues with the call center. so the best way to get an appointment is through internet, not through telephone call. so just please do your appointment through internet at mexico.sre.gob.mx, and please know that we are opening appointments every friday. so you will have saturdays and sundays to make your appointment for the following week, and that's the way that we're working right now because of the pandemia. but please use internet, and we open every saturday-- every friday. and then we will have a saturday journey this coming february 20th in order to accommodate more people for the appointment.

damian: and i know, consul, a lot of people, a lot of offices had to cancel appointments no matter what the office is. in your case, in the consulado, does that back you up? are you backed up with a lot of work because you had to cancel a lot of appointments, or are you able to catch up because you are doing a lot of things virtual and you are open to a certain extent? remedios: no, we're opened. we didn't have to cancel. the problem is that we don't have enough appointments like in the past just because we need to keep the distance and we cannot accommodate more than 25% of the people because of the regulations. but we are trying to do our best, and that's why we are opening only once a week. in the past, we used to open appointments for the whole month, but we need to open week after week just because we need to be attentive to what-- the recommendations of the authorities. damian: yeah, and i know, consul, a lot of people, myself included, we don't like to work on weekends 'cause it's

family time. but in your case, you have [speaking foreign language] when you're open on saturdays. you have to do it, right, because you need to service the community that you serve. remedios: yeah, we serve our community. we don't open every saturday, but we are opening now more saturdays. and there are-- the coming february 20th we'll be opened, and we open the appointments a week before because now we know that many people are looking to renew their passports because they are doing their irs information. so that's why we are trying to accommodate more people. and there are always emergencies. if someone has an emergency, they should send us an email to where--email-- institutional email, consfrancisco@sre.gob.mx, and we will help them to answer with gency. damian: how understanding has your

[speaking foreign language] been? are they able to understand, "okay, we're in the middle of covid. i understand that it might take longer for me to process this paperwork as it would have in the past." are they understanding of that? remedios: well, some are, some others not. and, please, i ask the people to be more patient. please consider that we are still in a pandemic and that we also need to take care of the people that are working here at the consulate. we cannot have so many people, we cannot be so crowded, and we don't have that much space to accommodate so many people at the same time. so please be patient. but if someone has an emergency, we will find a way to help that person. damian: and lastly on the topic, you do have on your website, you said, information on-- if you need a vaccination anywhere in the area, you'll be able to find out on your website where that-- we could get that vaccination-- aeveryone to visit our webpage.k we try to update it every day, and we are providing information

on every county that we serve here in northern california and also in hawaii where the people should go, to put in the lease to get the vaccination. as you know, there are different stagesis in our webpage.e,tion so please just visit that there and you will find what you have to do to get your vaccine. damian: all right, we do have that information. should be on your screen. it's at--the consulate is at 532 folsom street in san francisco. a web address is also on the screen. log on and find out more about those services. we'll be back with the consul to talk about maybe college readiness and a couple of other issues. stay with us.

mexico in san francisco. the consul remedios gomez arnau is our guest once again. you know, just this week, consul, my wife and i are sitting down with my daughter because we're looking at college readiness.

where are we going to go to college? how--where's she going to go to college? where she--how do we prepare for that? what is--what classes she should be taking now? tell us about the efforts of the consulado in getting those families ready for college. remedios: yeah, well, we have our [speaking foreign language] of educational orientation, and that-- this year we are joining efforts with our consulate in sacramento. they organize every year a big-- the biggest fair in northern california to provide information to the latino community, and that steps to college. it's already open, and i just want to let the people know that on february 20th it will be devoted, that saturday, online information for dreamers. and on saturday the 27th, that's in spanish for the family because we want the parents to understand very well on the procedures. there will be information about the admission, then the financing, and also how the parents should support the

kids to go to the university. so, please, i invite everyone that is interested, like you and your wife, in helping their children to go to college to join us virtually. all the information is in our webpage. it's the biggest fair in northern california that steps to college in a joint effort with the consulate of mexico in sacramento. damian: and it's such a big step for those students. but, really, when they are in middle school, in seventh and eighth grade, even freshmen in high school, it's time to start thinking about college, right, because you can't wait until the end of your high school career for you to think, "oh, i need to apply for college." [speaking foreign language] you have to start now preparing for it. remedios: yeah, you're absolutely right, damian. d i invite the people if they have the children in middle school, go virtually to get the information about the role of the parents, about f. don't wait till the last minute.

don't wait till they are in the 12th year, just do it now. if there are in the ninth, it's the time that you go. if it's the eighth, it's the time to go to get the information you need to support your children going to college. damian: and then you have-- you still have cultural events going on--right?--even though we're virtual right now. hopefully that's--the virtual stuff is gonna end soon. [speaking foreign language] if we put our masks on, social distance. but cultural events are still going on. remedios: yeah. we are doing cultural events the whole year because this year is a big year for mexico. we'll be celebrating 200 years of our gaining the independence, not the starting of the war for independence but the gaining the independence. that was 1821. so we will have difour movie cycle.on.alsoe so these coming february 14th, we have-- well, now february 14th because of that day of love,

we have the movie about [speaking foreign language] for those romantic people that want to remember about mexico and the-- mexico, that-- cess to that, sending an email to our institutional email. damian: who doesn't like a good [speaking foreign language] on a sunday morning with a cup of coffee and [speaking foreign language] consul, any final thoughts? i've asked a lot of questions. anything you'd like to say to the public in your jurisdiction as a consulate? remedios: well, please follow the instructions of the authorities as to here. we need to keep on being very alert. use your mask. look for the vaccination.ubt, please visit our webpage. there we have enough information on different areas shared

basically, but also to another area. damian: all right, well, that website should be on the screen. this is the mexican consulate in san francisco. they are on folsom street. and again, appointments right now, they are taking them on the internet just because of everything that's been happening. and we understand that you need to bring your patience with you as well. consul, thank you so much for the work that you're doing throughout this pandemic. you've kept us informed. you've kept the public informed. remedios: my pleasure. thank you. damian: thank you so much. we'll see you next month. and up next on "comunidad del valle," boy, that recurring problem with covid in the latino community, especially in east san jose. let's tackle it next.

damian: we're back here on "comunidad del valle." and folks, i don't need to tell you this is a crisis. this is an emergency. the numbers are still staggering, especially in east san jose.

the five worst zip codes, four of the five are in san jose. the fifth one is in gilroy. a lot of us are suffering the consequences.n to the gum so we got together with los tigres del norte grammy award winners to see if they could help us get the word out, and here is our story with them. damian: well, this is an area that really needs the help. the mexican heritage plaza is in a 95116 zip code, one of the hardest hit zip codes in the entire county. so today some music legends came out to sound the alarm. damian: they've headlined the big stages for more than 50 years and earned numerous grammy awards. many say the south bay's los tigres del norte sing to the immigrants. now the music legends are using their voices to sound the alarm about the stubbornly high covid count in east san jose. jorge hernandez: to be safe, save them, save the family, and save everybody.

damian: the band shot a public service announcement that will run on telemundo 48 and nbc bay area, wear a mask. avoid large gatherings. luis hernandez: it's gonna be faster to end this pandemic time. it's--for us, i think our society, our latino community has to do it as soon as possible if we want to get out, live freely, and go on with our lives the way we used to. damian: and they're urging the community not to fear the vaccine, something that has been an issue among minority communities. eduardo hernandez: if our future, if our-- this is going to be the only way to win this pandemic. damian: fifty-one percent of all covid cases in santa clara county are in latino neighborhoods. and while community groups fight every day to keep their a lot of weight.omar ron you get celebrity, when you get community-member leadership within our community,

such as los tigres del norte, i think it's really and extremely important for them to kind of carry out that message. damian: their songs have inspired immigrants for decades. now these famed musicians hope their words can help save their community from this pandemic. in san jose, damian trujillo, nbc bay area. damian: and we thank los tigres del norte for helping us get the word out. and with us is omar rodriguez. you saw him in that news report. he's with the mexican heritage plaza. and jessica paz-cedillos is the executive director of the school of arts and culture at the mexican heritage plaza. welcome to the show, folks. omar: thank you, damian. thank you for the opportunity. damian: thank you. jessica, we heard from omar. your reaction to the fact that it was so important for los tigres del norte, that they felt compelled to do this. jessica paz-cedillos: sure. so los tigres del norte are well known in the latino community, and they have the ear of a lot of folks in our community.

and so it is incredibly important for them to give the message on the importance of getting vaccinated, the importance of, you know, getting tested, and the importance of adhering to county guidelines. our community in east san jose, our latino community, our immigrant community has been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic, and so for them to step up in this way goes a long way. damian: oh, absolutely. unfortunately, omar, when we did talk to you on that news report, you were mentioning-- because you do covid testing every wednesday at the mexican heritage plaza, and you were mentioning that not as many people are showing up for that testing as they were initially. omar: that's right, damian. we've seen a drop-- you know, a drop off in numbers for our weekly testings on wednesdays. and i think a lot of people took it seriously, right, when they were-- when we were going into the holidays. but now that the holidays are over, you know, they're kind of-- a little bit more relaxed.

they're not paying attention to the messaging that's going out of-- you know, with the importance of still wearing a mask. and if--you know, even though the vaccine is available, it's still gonna be a long time until we're able to kind of ease off the gas pedal, if you will. and so i think it's important for people to continue to get tested, especially if you're an essential worker or especially if you're out there working. you know, it's important to commit to that, you know, whethe you know, depending on the availability for them. but i think it's really important for a community to continue to get tested regardless of the vaccine being available, so-- damian: and what about the vaccines themselves, jessica? you do offer them on tuesdays and thursdays, 500 per day. are 500 people showing up every day? jessica: so yes, right, people are taking advantage

of the vaccines. we've had a very strong showing right here in east san jose. we are also advocating for the governor and for our county officials to lower the guidelines in order to be able to vaccinate our frontline workers. we are not all on the same boat. when we think about who has been impacted by this pandemic, it is our east san jose community, it is our latino community, it is our immigrant community, it is our frontline workers. and so if we are to center equity, it is important that when we are vaccinating folks that we prioritize the people who've been the hardest hit, you know. and i also wanna add, right, to what omar is saying. we are not out of the woods yet. and when we get vaccinated, right, there is still a possibility of getting the virus and transmitting it even if you don't end up in the hospital, even if you don't have symptoms. and so it's important for all of us to adhere to the county

guidelines, to cdc guidelines in order to get out of this. damian: absolutely, and hopefully that collaboration-- you'll see that psa, public service announcement, with los tigres del norte on telemundo and nbc beginning in this coming week. if you want more information, again, tuesdays no report--no appointment needed. and then wednesdays is the covid testing. so you have to do the testing at the mexican heritage plaza. so there's information--we'll be back and talk about-- more about this important topic when we continue here on "comunidad del valle." stay with us. ♪♪♪

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you know, your site that offers 500 vaccinations twice per week, tully road clinic has a site, and then the fairgrounds; and they consider that the east side site. and then we have up to 15,000, maybe, at the levi's stadium when it reaches its peak, and their contention is that's great. mass vaccinations are great. but bring those to pal stadium, bring those over to overfelt high school, where our gente is because they're the ones who are dying the fastest. jessica: sure. so the latino caucus here in east san jose is advocating for the prioritization of vaccination based on census tract. and so if you think about who has been impacted here in santa clara county, the majority of cases reside in five zip codes in east san jose. and so they've come together in order to advocate for

community-placed sites like la plaza to open up in the east side. and i think it's the right ask, right? when we think about who is being impacted by this pandemic, it is the folks who are the backbone of silicon valley, who are living in the east side, who are our frontline workers. and you know, early on during the pandemic, many of us were grateful for their role. and what i ask, what we ask, what they are asking is now that we show that gratefulness by prioritizing them. damian: yeah, and you mentioned-- i mean, they are essential workers. that's why the east side has been hit so hard because they're-- you know, they're the ones who are still going out and working and doing that essential work. that said, omar, from where i live, i still hear the banda down the road. on facebook, there was an ad just this past week,

and it's a banda saying, [speaking foreign language] hire us. look at the parties we throw." the party--the video they showed was of a big party on-- in december, and nobody's wearing masks. some people are not getting the message. unfortunately, that's, you know, the reality we're living in still a year after. and you know, folks are not taking it serious, unfortunately, and it's affecting everyone else, right? so when i think about-- or when i see, you know, those type of things as well, whether it's on any social media platform of big parties, or even just small gatherings, i think that people are again taking it lightly, right? if it didn't-- if they're not-- if they haven't lost a family member within the last year, if it's not, you know-- if there's no cases close to them, you know, they kind of think like, "oh, well, it's not gonna affect me, it's not gonna happen to me," until it does, right?

and so i think it's important for folks to, you know, even a year after to take things seriously, to get out and get tested regularly but also follow the simple protocols of wearing a mask and, obviously, not attending big gatherings. and so i think it's important for us as community leaders and community--local community organizations to continue that message because, you know, somewhere down the line it's getting lost, and so we have to keep messaging and messaging. and u knyo, we thank you for the opportunity to bring us on to be able to continue that messaging because it's really up that it's getting across to our global community. damian: it really is. you know, every child-- and i feel for the children. my kids are isolated. they've been hibernating for the last year. jessica, your children-- everyone's child has not been inside a classroom for almost

a year, and that's ridiculous. and then we're not doing anybody any favors, jessica, by throwing these big parties or by not wearing the masks or by not following social distancing by have-- "oh, just a couple of friends we're getting together." we're just not paying attention. you can probably tell my frustration. jessica: yeah, no, and listen, we feel the same way, right? i think that there is a lot of fatigue irregardless of race or culture, right? we had the super bowl this weekend. how many people are not following the guidelines in order to have a super bowl watch party, right? and so i think that, you know, the fatigue is real, and i think you see it across all racial populations. and the message is simple, right? if we are going to get through this, if we are going to get to recovery,uideline. there is a way--right?--in order for us to continue

to have connections with each other in a safe manner, right? and it means adhering to cdc guidelines, to county guidelines. and so, you know, wear your mask, social distance. don't gather. get vaccinated, right? if you have the opportunity to get vaccinated, get vaccinated. get tested often. damian: that's a great message, and you're right. we can't repeat that enough. again, give us a run--omar. tuesdays and thursdays and wednesdays, tell us what's happening. omar: yep, so vaccinations days are tuesdays and thursdays. folks can pick up a wristband starting at 9 o'clock in the morning, and then get tested between 10:30 and 4:30. like you mentioned before, there's about 500-- or 500 available per every tuesday and thursday, and testing continues every wednesday from 12 to 6. you can also pick up a wristband earlier to guarantee a spot.

but as we mentioned, we're getting low numbers. so if you come, you know, right at 12, you'll-- you can just jump right in and get tested. and so again, folks, please pay attention. it's really important to continue to get tested. and when the vaccine becomes available to you, please get informed, right? so it's not just about, "hey, get the vaccine, get the vaccine." getting for--right? if you're not comfortable, you know, where the vaccine or the information, get that in-- go out and get that information. that information is available. get yourself that education and make the decision yourself, right? but--and obviously, we want to encourage that, but also encourage it, you know, by getting informed. damian: thank you, omar. appreciate all of you. thank you so much, and wear a mask. thank you all for watching "comunidad del valle." we'll see you again here next week. you can follow us on twitter and instagram. there are the web addresses. thank you so much. we'll see you again here next week. this is a no-nonsense message from three.

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